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Monthly Archives: September 2015

Every news site is overflowing with images of displaced refugees, people risking life and limb to escape certain death in their home country. Ironic. I cannot imagine, on any level, being a child in that situation. My mind is literally incapable of envisioning it because my life is so far removed from their reality. Every life is worth something; may those children, and all children facing adversity and struggle, grow up and use those horrific experiences to propel them forward and be successful human beings.

This recipe sounds shmancy and a mission. It’s not. While it will impress the crap out of your guests, or just you, it’s not difficult at all. This is the gist: fry stuff. Add cream. Mix stuff. Bake. Drool.

In this house, we are obsessed with gnocchi. And cheese. I blame myself for getting The Husband into it. We all have our crosses to bear. A few weeks ago we went out for dinner and The Husband had penne alfredo and mentioned, in passing, that I should try to recreate it, but with gnocchi. What’s that? A challenge? A pasta challenge? I’m in. I was extremely disappointed when a lot of recipes used pre-bought alfredo sauce. Really? Do you have any idea how easy it it? Don’t tell your guests, because as far as they’re concerned, based on the taste, you slaved for several hours. But really folks, it’s one of the least complicated and most yummiest recipes you’ll ever make. You’re welcome.

1. In a large pan, heat the olive oil on medium. Fry the bacon, mushrooms and garlic for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Cut the chicken breasts into chunks, toss them in the flour and coat thoroughly. Heat the butter on medium and fry the chicken pieces for 5 minutes until golden brown.

3. Return the bacon and mushrooms to the pan, add the cream and 2 stalks parsley and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Heat your oven to 190°C (375°F). In the meantime, cook the gnocchi per package instructions.
Place the chicken, bacon and mushroom mixture in a large dish and toss with cheddar. Sprinkle mozzarella on top and bake for 20 minutes.

Aah, making peace with that which has left you tattered, fractured, possibly decimated, or maybe just shaken and upset. I’ve learnt that everything in life is a process, and trying to expedite it is fruitless. The process, by its very nature, has no concept of time. Once you surrender to it, there is a lightness that comes with no longer trying to control the outcome. There is a stillness for the first time in a while, and it’s a beautiful, comforting feeling that is embraced with welcomed relief.

Image credit: Google Images

Please hop on over to Lisa’s site, Rebirth of Lisa, for more Words Crush Wednesday quotes and a host of other cool writing stuff.

This week’s Words Crush Wednesday is by Walt Whitman. I chose it for various reasons. It’s Spring here in the Southern Hemisphere. Well, supposedly, but we’ve had erratic weather. That’s the literal interpretation but more so, I feel the need to practice optimism.

Let me put it into perspective. I got a new phone and I was frustrated because my provider was taking a ridiculously long time to connect it. I was annoyed and frustrated. Woe is me. But then I opened the news and saw people drowning, people literally risking life and limb, carrying little babies, to escape the genocide in their home country. Now, this is largely a cooking blog so I don’t want to get political, but suffice it to say, my phone problems were comparatively an embarrassment of riches. Major FWP (First World Problems). Seeing what other people are going through this very minute is a sobering reminder to be bloody grateful for what I have. It’s a reminder that my life isn’t actually that hard by comparison. It’s a reminder that I live in a loving home, I have food and clothing, wonderful people in my life, safety and stability. So, for me, this tells me to look for the positive, because it is always there, and let go of the negative, because it will only hold you back. My dad always says you can’t move forward if you keep looking back, and that’s so true. I’m looking towards my future with excitement and optimism and letting all the crap fall behind me and stay in the past.

Behold! No, seriously, this is freaking amazing! I had SO much fun with this recipe. I usually make chewy brownies with chocolate ganache but this time I wanted to do a fudgier take on them and, of course, a peanut butter frosting. I used both dark and milk chocolate, the latter to balance the bitterness. When you bite into these babies, you get a fudgy, delicious, creamy, chocolatey taste with fluffy, light peanut butter frosting and crunchy chocolate chips. Yum? Yum.

The top is crinkly, the inside, crunchy (hello, chocolate chips!) and the frosting, well, peanut buttery. I don’t think I need to say anything else!

You can use the frosting for cupcakes, cakes, you name it. If you’re doing this, add extra icing sugar. You might need to add a tablespoon or two of milk if the frosting is too thick, but for this recipe you shouldn’t need any milk.

1. Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F). Line a 9×9 square baking tin with parchment paper, making sure it covers the sides and leaves an overhang. You’ll need this to remove the brownie slab in one go.

2. Sift flour, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Melt the butter and dark chocolate in a pan on medium heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Set aside.

4. Add the sugar to the melted chocolate and butter, whisking until it’s fully combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add the vanilla and whisk to incorporate.

5. Slowly add the dry ingredients, whisking until well combined. Scrape down the sides as necessary.

6. Add the milk chocolate chips and stir to throughly combine.

7. Bake on the middle shelf for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clear. The top will be crinkly and the sides will be pulling away. Don’t stress if it has cracks.

8. Once cooked, remove from the oven and rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes then remove the slab from the baking tin, lifting the sides of the parchment paper up, and let cool for an hour.
Once completely cool, cut the brownie slab into 16 blocks.

1. On low speed, beat the butter until it’s soft and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides.

2. Add the icing sugar, and beat until well incorporated. Add vanilla essence and beat until well combined. (If it’s too thick, add 2 tablespoons of milk. I did not find it necessary for this recipe but it’s entirely up to you. If you need more frosting, add more icing sugar.)

I would do anything for loaf… An old classic, meatloaf is an easy and scrummy dish that never goes out of style. Why? Because it’s delicious, packed with flavour and cost-effective too. So many people aren’t into it. I was one of them, until I tried my first meatloaf a few years back. I was happy to eat my words, as long as I could have a second helping of meatloaf! Tangy and sweet, you don’t need extra salt because you’re using Worcestershire sauce. Bonus!

Sidebar: When I Googled meatloaf, the singer, Meatloaf, came up. Amusing but not quite what I was looking for. Do we know yet what he meant by “I would do anything for love but I won’t do that“? What is “that“? WHAT? Why are you still doing this to me, Mr Meatloaf? Not cool! It’s one of the greatest mysteries of the modern world. Answers are welcome in the comments section.

In a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the garlic, green pepper and onion on medium for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the ketchup and milk and simmer for another 3 minutes.

2. Remove the crusts from the dry bread and blitz in a food processor until you have bread crumbs. Heat non-stick spray in a pan and fry the bread crumbs on medium until crispy and golden brown. Alternatively you can use ready-made bread crumbs and skip this step.

3. In a bowl, mix the mince, bread crumbs, lightly beaten egg, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Mix with a wooden spoon, don’t mash it though. Stir until well combined. You can also use your hands, sometimes that works better. Up to you. (You don’t have to tell anyone.) Add the fried veggies to the mince, mixing until thoroughly combined.

4. Spray a bread tin with non-stick spray. Spoon the mince mixture into the bread tin and smooth the top with the back of a tablespoon.

5. Bake for 1 hour, remove from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes and then cut it into slices.

It was my mom’s birthday last week so I wanted to honour her in this week’s Words Crush Wednesday. You see, I couldn’t phone her or bake her a cake; she’s in heaven. What’s better than being an angel? Being an angel who never ages. I had 29 years with her, by no means enough, but in that time she taught me so much about life. Everything I do, I do to honour her. She was my greatest gift in life and we often said we were so glad we chose each other. Even if she had lived to 90, it would not have been enough time. Is it ever, when it comes to mothers (and fathers)?

My mom showed me a love that knew no bounds and had no limits. I am profoundly grateful for that. I know what it feels like to be loved, truly and boundlessly loved, without exception. If I’d killed someone, she would have helped me bury the body. (And then she would have lit a Sambuca and had a cigarette.) She was a strong, wise, deeply loving woman who lived her life helping others. Her death has taught me so much. No one is invincible, as I thought she was. Through her death, I practised the strength she showed me. It’s ironic that I survived the greatest tragedy of my life purely by doing what she would have done, what she showed me through her actions.

If my mom hadn’t died when she did, she would have keeled over seeing me cook. I was horrendous. Really shockingly bad. It was because of her death that I taught myself to cook. I needed a hobby, a massive distraction that would take up a lot of time, thus I challenged myself to learn to cook. My mom taught me how to make reservations, not cupcakes! The person I am, and the person I will always strive to be, is someone who would make her proud. That is my greatest motivation in life. So, happy birthday, Mama. I’ll have a Sambuca for you, but don’t worry, there are no bodies buried in my garden.